Legal
Legal issues in the correctional system encompass various topics, including inmate rights, staff conduct, and compliance with state and federal laws. This directory offers articles and resources on the legal aspects of correctional facility operations, helping staff stay informed about the regulations and policies that govern their work. Understanding legal responsibilities is essential for minimizing liability and ensuring facilities operate within the law. For more information, explore our section on Corrections Policies.
How new federal tax rules could affect your paycheck, deductions and long-term savings
Prison officials say the goal is to minimize correctional staff involvement as the state prepares to make firing squad its primary method by 2026
Ralph Leroy Menzies, convicted of a 1986 murder, was days away from execution when the court intervened
For the first time in a decade, Florida juvenile detention and probation officers will see a bump in their salaries
A transgender woman said Louisiana COs ordered her to remove her underwear and told her she would have to reveal her genitalia before she could leave the facility
Alabama’s prison system, needing more COs, would get the biggest increase under bills that advanced in the Legislature
Department policy broadly restricts cooperation with U.S. ICE, forbidding most communication with the agency and barring access to inmates
The jury ruled that the CO faced retaliation for complaining that her bosses allowed inmates to sexually harass her
The legislation would raise CO pay in the state by $6,000
In sparing the life of Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, Gov. Greg Abbott accepted the state parole board’s rare clemency recommendation
The road to justice is difficult, so recognizing our inconsistent beliefs and justifications is paramount to acting appropriately
A federal lawsuit alleges that the prison brutally punishes suicidal and mentally ill inmates by isolating them for months or even years
With the state’s prisons expected to run out of space by mid-2019, proposals to curb rising incarceration rates have picked up some momentum
The Court’s 2016 decision in the case opened the door for roughly 2K other juvenile offenders to argue for their release
A round of votes shows Maine lawmakers will need more support to ensure funding for a minimum-security prison that Republican Gov. Paul LePage has pushed to close
An appeals court upheld most of a federal judge’s ruling that the bail system in Texas’ most populous county was unconstitutional for people arrested for lesser offenses
The ACLU of Nebraska said it plans to challenge the district court’s ruling
The state Assembly has crafted a bill that calls for closing Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison and moving its inmates into new state and county facilities
A judge said California must consider earlier parole for potentially thousands of sex offenders, maybe even those convicted of pimping children
The bill would permit prosecutors to impanel a second jury if the first jury fails to reach an unanimous sentencing decision
The move comes after years of problems such as maggots in food and smuggling by kitchen employees
A late summer prayer service at the Laurel County jail is now the subject of a lawsuit
A state lawmaker says he’ll try again to reform a program that allows inmates who behave well to get out of prison early
Randall Margraves, whose daughters said they were sexually abused by Larry Nassar, asked the judge to have “five minutes” alone with Nassar before lunging at him
According to the complaint, the department “systematically fails to provide necessary medical treatment” such as hormone therapy for gender dysphoria
Sen. Paul Bussman proposed legislation to grant Anthony Ray Hinton $1.5 million over three years, who spent 28 years on death row for two murders
No executions have been carried out in South Carolina since 2011, in part because of no available drugs for lethal injections
A Utah bill would make killers of first responders eligible for the death penalty
The DOC unveiled a revised single-drug method of execution, but the drugs are barred from import or execution use
President Donald Trump made it clear during his campaign that he wanted Guantanamo to remain open
Inmate Darren Rainey died after being left for nearly two hours in a hot shower
The inmates asked the court to end mandatory, indefinite solitary confinement, calling the practice degrading and inhumane
The bill would increase CO pay $2K a year over each of the next three years
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